A Smile And A Frown
by snakebit1995
Summary: A small one-shot chronicling the attempts by Ms. Joke to get a date with Mr. Aizawa, and her feelings of being rejected.


_Italics indicate thinking_

 **I've wanted to do a little one shot about these two for a while and finally got around to writing it.**

* * *

 **Emi Fukukado (AKA Ms. Joke) POV**

I rubbed my eyes a bit as I was getting ready for bed.

"Man that exam took a lot out of me today." I streached "Still, the kids did great, and it was awesome to see Eraserhead again too he was just as gloomy as ever."

Shouta Aizawa, he's a swell guy surprisingly attractive if you manage to work past his prickly personality.

"I guess he never changes though, he barely pays me any mind after all this time." I laid on my bed "Why is he…the only person I can't make smile."

Ever since I've known him he's kept that stoic look or worse, a frown, on his face, he never smiles or shows any kind of happiness.

"Maybe I come on too strong." I mumbled "Someone like him would never like a loud girl like me. Jeez Emi quit talking so down about yourself someday I'm gonna make him smile and see how great it can be."

I started fading to sleep "How great…I can be…"

* * *

 **A few days later**

"Hey let's go out for drinks!" I said into the phone.

"No." Shouta said bluntly.

"Come on don't be such a downer." I pouted tapping my foot.

"Haa…no." he sighed.

"Eraser!" I huffed.

"I said no, and stop calling me." He hung up.

"JERK!" I pouted and leaned my head on my desk "Maybe I should just give up."

"Is something wrong Mr. Joke?" Tatami asked.

"Huh?" I looked up at the spiky haired girl "No, just personal stuff."

I smiled "Don't stress out over the boy troubles of your teacher."

"You're having boy troubles?" she asked.

"HA!" I covered my mouth a bit before snapping.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"There's just a guy that's not as into me as I am into him." I smiled a bit "Maybe I need to change a bit. He's not big on the whole comedy thing, I should probably tone it back."

"No don't do that!" she yelled.

"Huh?"

"Ms. Joke you're awesome just how you are, you shouldn't have to change who you are just to please some guy." Tatami said "If he can't appreciate you for who you are he doesn't deserve you."

"Hahaha, you have a very Romantic view of love Tatami." I laughed "It's cute, just like you."

She laughed "Well I'm going home, have a good day."

"You too, be safe getting home." I smiled.

Once she was out of the room I laid my head on my desk again "No even my students will think I'm a washed-up hag."

I leaned back in my chair "What am I missing? Is it my hair color, my face, are my boobs not big enough or something?"

I grabbed my bag and started to head home "It can't be my body people are always saying how pretty I am, and I'm pretty sure Eraser isn't gay so why, I practically throw myself at him and he doesn't so much as blink. It must be me, he just…doesn't love me."

* * *

 **Later**

It had been a few weeks, I had all but stopped trying to speak Shouta, what was the point he'd just turn me down again and at this point I'm not sure if I could take another rejection. I decided I needed to take a personal day and took off work to recharge myself.

I looked across at the mirror, sometimes I look at that reflection and I laugh, but not with joy. Constantly putting on this smile, constantly being upbeat and unphased is hard. Being rejected again and again…Every time I see him I smile, and by the end of every conversation I'm crying inside from the hurt.

"I hate it." I felt tears on my face "I hate this, it's not fair why? I do everything I can, I try so hard and the one time I try and ask for a little something I get turned away."

I laid on my bed and squeezed my pillow in frustration, my mind filled with that gripping sadness, when there was suddenly a knock at the door.

"Umm, one sec." I stood up and wiped my eyes "Hello?"

I opened the door "AH!"

"What are you yelling for?" Aizawa asked.

"W-What are you doing here?" I gulped.

 _He's here at my house?_

"You hadn't called in a while, when I checked in at your school your boss said you called out sick sounding upset." He blinked "I thought I'd come make sure you didn't do something stupid."

"Me, do something like that what do you take me for?" I asked.

"Right…" he said calmly.

I knew he was avoiding _**That**_ time from our past.

* * *

 **A long time ago**

"Snap out of it!"

"I can't handle this anymore! The pain…the sadness."

The wind was strong, my hair, my outfit all blew in the wind. I knew it got windier the higher up you went, but I hadn't expected it to be this windy.

"This is just your quirk you have to focus." He told me.

"I can't take it!" I cried.

My quirk makes people laugh, to do that it makes them experience a sense on extreme euphoria and happiness, but there's a drawback, all the anger, the hate, the sadness, all the other negative emotions they have need somewhere to go, and to trade for them my body expels positive emotion and takes in negative, and if I take in too many negative emotions at once it all…come crumbling down.

"You gotta calm down Joke, it's gonna be fine don't do anything stupid."

"I can't…I can't…" I shook my head "I can't…"

"Come on look at me." He said "You just gotta look at me."

"Shouta…" I panted faster and faster "I can't…I…I can't do it."

"JOKE!"

I just closed my eyes, leaned back and let myself fall.

"HGNG!"

I felt myself fall for a meter or two, but then I was tugged.

"Huh?" I looked up.

"What the hell's wrong with you!" Aizawa snapped "If you just let me look at you I can erase your quirk and the negative emotions will go away!"

For so long I lived with all those depressing emotions until I just couldn't take it, but then here came this guy I met just a few weeks ago sticking his neck on the line for me like this…saving me from myself.

He was my total opposite but I was drawn so close to him.

* * *

 **Present**

"Do you…wanna come in or something?" I asked pushing that old memory from my mind.

 _Oh jeez I look like shit and I'm inviting him into my house! Jeez Emi it figures the one time he shows up you look like a total slob!_

"No I've gotta get back to UA." He blinked.

"Oh…okay." I sighed as he turned to leave "Well it was nice to see you."

"Yeah." He waved.

 _Leaving again…just like he always does._

"Hey Joke." He sighed and looked back "I'm free on Friday, you wanna…go get dinner or something and catch up?"

It felt like there was an explosion of happiness in my stomach.

I just smiled wide "Of course I would!"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Not sure if I'll do more based on this in the future or if it'll just be a one shot.**

 **As Cliché as it kinda is for Joke to not really be as happy as she lets on I felt like it was something I couldn't pass up exploring.**

 **Also in case you didn't know in canon her Quirk is just to make people laugh but I added the part about taking in negative emotions for the story.**

 **Till Next Time**


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